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NO SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE imagery or slogans, fabrics that provide for modesty and age appropriate swimwear are among the guidelines included in Retail Ireland’s voluntary code for children’s clothes.
Care to differentiate between children’s underwear and adult lingerie, appropriate colour ranges and stable and supporting footwear are also part of the guidelines, which were launched today.
Bras should be labelled by bust and cup size rather than age, and no mention should be made of “enhancement” or “underwiring” on underwear aimed at the under-12s. Meanwhile the guidelines recommend that the choice of decoration or embellishment on footwear should be “pretty” rather than “adult”.
Tesco, Penneys and Marks and Spencer are among the retailers who have agreed to sign up to the code, joined by Arnotts, Brown Thomas, Clerys, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Next and TK Maxx. Other retailers are also being invited to adopt the guidelines.
The code was requested by Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald and she said today that “preserving the special space that is childhood is a key priority of government”.
Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has called on the government to make addressing the sexualisation and commercialisation of children a priority, and today he is welcoming the code, saying it is a first step in tackling an enormous problem in society.
He said that he hope statutory guidelines will follow.
Today’s document also dictates that childrenswear should be marketed towards to adults that are buying it, and that the use of child models is only acceptable within defined parameters.
The code covers clothes for children under the age of twelve and does not include dressing-up clothes or toys, teenage fashion or babywear.
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Thank God. Does that mean an end to those horrific Playboy bunny branded clothes for kids?
Sadly, I somehow doubt it
Sorry, I think it’s the parents cos its the same as fast food, the kids are not buying it they don’t have the cash!
Thats a start..but girls are easily influence by what their friend is wearing and what they see…
very true, and there will always be somebody to supply stuff like this to make a quick buck
I agree but ultimately the responsibility lies with the parents.
Hate to sound like a prude but I think that music videos need to be looked at as part of the problem. The watershed controls want can be shown on TV but some seriously raunchy music vids appear on tv 24/7.
This all sounds great, but it’s not the children who are buying these clothes it’s the parents. My daughter works in retail and she says the amount of parents or rather mothers who will come to her with teenagers clothes and ask her if they have it in ages 4 and 5. So I’m sorry but the demand is there because this is how parents are dressing their children.
About time, but vodafone could do with looking at there new TV ad, two kids wearing shorts and dancing with the camera focused on their rears
Penneys – clothes for kids made by kids
I’m a fan of Penneys and Dunnes most of the time for kids clothes, F&F at Tesco also, but the amount of times in practically all those shops that my eye was drawn to a nice t shirt or trousers for my daughter ( who’s 7 by the way), only to pick it up and turn it around to find ‘BOYS’ ,’LOOK’ or ‘DIVA’ emblazoned on it in silver sequins is terrible.
I’m not one of these high earners that can afford M&S and next as everyday wear for my kids but despite what I mention above, there are pretty, age appropriate clothing available also for kids that don’t have to break the bank. I agree that there is obviously a demand for this type of clothing or it wouldn’t be so readily available but it is a parents personal choice. I think personally that there are clothes that are oversexualising children but that’s my opinion.
I agree with this move and hope more follow suit although I hope they don’t start jacking up their prices also. I think Penneys have gone up in price recently for kids clothing. I applaud the likes of Aldi and Lidl for fixing the prices for their back to school stuff. Reasonable, very durable items and none of this price doubling because you need a bigger size.
Fingers crossed!
Thank u god 4 boys!
Again with the ‘padded’ bras, seriously they are slightly padded as in 0.5 of a centimetre.
They are not push up bras, or wonder bras.
They a slightly padded to provide extra protection to the breast buds of developing girls and to even out their appearance cos often one will develop first leaving the girl self concious.
By all means ban boob tubes, mini skirts, tracksuits with juicy on them and the playboy bunny
but leave the padded bras alone there is a need for them.
Never needed padded bras when I was young, my daughters never needed them. So unless young girls are somehow developing differently these days there is no need for padded bras on children..put a vest on them.
I have an 12 year old, they make her feel more comfortable, it’s that simple.
Nothing wrong with innovation, other wise our daughters would be looking at using maxi pads.
It s great to see how quickly this was agreed upon compared to other issues of national interest. Penney’s were by far the biggest culprit in slut fashion and pedophile friendly signifiers on child clothing. We galloped all the way from religious prudery to wholesale sexual abandon in child fashions . But it seems to be very much a trend in the budget fashion stores aimed at lower income families – who , once saddled with these ‘trends’ are forced to buy as they have little options elsewhere for cheap clothing for their families. It smacked a little of social engineering – a well endowed purse shopping at NEXT or TOPSHOP is served a much more palatable offering than the struggling parent searching for a wardrobe on a tight budget. One could be forgiven for thinking that behind the trends there was another intent in influencing culturally the youth generation of budding consumers – very tied in to the trash cash music industry . Yes – edit the video contents too, far too much slutting it up to impressionable teenage boys and girls.
A need for padded bras?? Oh please!!! Even my daughter (14) hates them, claiming them to be hot and uncomfortable.
great to know a 12 year old is running the roost in that house..
About time
It’s really another example of do what we say, not what we do (similar to alcohol, smoking etc), isn’t it?
If as an adult woman you twist your whole life to fit some weird and perverse notion of attractiveness – such as make-up, fake tan, false eyelashes, beauty treatments, constant and expensive hair maintenance, push up bras, obsession with appearance, high heel shoes that mean you effectively can’t walk properly, and generally an unhealthy obsession with changing your natural appearance, then is that not more of the problem, rather than the age at which you are allowed to partake in these dubious obsessions?
They don’t lick it off the ground you know.
I have a 5 year old who is very tall for her age. Therefore I have to buy her clothes aged 8. It’s very very hard to find “age appropriate” clothes for her. Not with tiger prints or cut up T shirts that are floressant yellow etc. Also clothes in her size a more expensive. Next have some very nice clothes but is out of my price range. Dunnes seem to have put their prices up. Stuck really.
have your say